NEWS FROM THE HILLS

Weak sunshine tries to warm our hills today, but is thwarted by bitter wind that sways the birdfeeder to and fro, while a bright red cardinal hangs on for dear life. There are scattered patches of snow in the shady places, and covers the fallen leaves on the north side of the hill.

The last week of January is slowly sliding away, leaving us to wonder what February will have to offer. It is the shortest month in the year, but sometimes it can seem like the longest. It is usually a muddy month when the frozen ground begins to thaw, but it was much worse back in the days of my childhood when the present blacktopped road was a dirt road.

We had galoshes to wear over our shoes (I think that word has gone the way of “galluses!”) but that didn’t take care of the deep mud puddles. I remember one cold winter day when I was trudging back to school after coming home for dinner (not lunch) and a young man ran his truck to the side of the road in order to hit a big mud puddle. He splashed me from head to foot, and I had to go back home and change clothes.

Thank goodness the children of today are picked up by school buses and the dirt roads are a thing of the past. That was not a good memory. There were times when the good old days were not so good.

Click to advertise on this website

February does have some good things to offer. Groundhog Day makes a person feel as if spring is on its way.

Any self-respecting groundhog would crawl a little deeper into his burrow and not be coaxed out by the false promises of spring. Spring will come; it always has. Charlotte Raines of South Charleston writes, “Every day is a day closer to spring!” She’s right.

It seemed that our school pie social was always held in February. Maybe it was to break the monotony of winter, but we looked forward to it with anticipation. Country kids didn’t have much social life, and this was an opportunity to mingle with other young people and have a good time.

Pie socials (sometimes called “pie suppers”) were popular ‘way back in Mom’s young days, and were a way of making money for the school. Our profit went to library books. We didn’t actually have a library, but a wooden bookcase filled with thrilling stories of adventure and imagination. I read every book in it more than once.

There was a lot of competition among the girls and young women when it came to baking pies and decorating the boxes. Some of the ladies fixed “box suppers” which consisted of sandwiches, drinks, dessert, etc. The fancy boxes containing the pies and box suppers were placed on a long table with no identification as to who had prepared it. Then they were auctioned off to the highest bidder.

A steady boyfriend would try to get his girl’s pie of course, and sometimes the bidding grew quite fierce when another boy would try to outbid him. It was all in fun and with the proceeds going to the school; it was for a good cause.

We would have a cakewalk or two, with everyone holding hands and going around in a circle. A person stood in the center of the ring with a broom, and at a given time would lower the broomstick between two people. That couple won the cake. Occasionally the broomstick would hit a young man on the top of the head, but of course it was an accident.

Another game was the “Pretty Girl” contest, and the “Ugly Man” contest. There would be three or four people nominated for each contest, and the audience voted on the contestants by donating money. The winners were the ones who collected the most money.

It was a lot of fun, and one of the highlights of our school year. I liked it better than the modern way of raising funds by having the school children going from door to door selling candy and various items. I guess the pie social has gone the way of most of our old childhood customs.

Sometime back Priscilla McLaughlin requested a recipe for the apple cake that Mrs. Bell made in her Clay restaurant. We didn’t find the recipe for that particular cake, but we received a recipe from Mildred Caldwell of Charleston that she says is simple and quite good.

APPLE PIE CAKE

¾ cup sugar
½ cup plain flour
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. cloves
½ tsp. nutmeg
1 egg
½ tsp. vanilla
1 cup diced apples
½ cup chopped nuts

Mix all ingredients together and pour into greased 8” or 9” pie pan. (That’s right—no liquid. Batter will be quite thick.) Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped topping.

It is still soup weather, and I was telling Bunny Crockett about the White Lightning Chili I had made that day. She suggested that I share it in my column. It is very good, and can be adjusted to be as hot or mild as desired.

TEXAS WHITE LIGHTNING CHILI

1 tsp. olive oil
1 med. onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
¾ to 1 pound boneless chicken breast
3 tsp. cumin
1 tablespoon fresh oregano or 2 tsp. dried
1 can great northern or cannelloni beans
2 cans chicken broth
2 medium jalapeno peppers, chopped and seeded
Several drops hot pepper sauce (adjust to taste)
Salt and pepper

Heat oil in nonstick skillet. Add onion and sauté 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 3 more minutes (do not brown.) Cut chicken into thin strips, add to pan with cumin and oregano. Saute 2 minutes. Drain and rinse beans; add to pan with chicken broth and jalapeno peppers. Cook gently for 3 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken. Add hot pepper sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

Serve chili over rice and add toppings (diced red bell pepper, sliced scallions or grated Monterey Jack or other hard cheese.)

We received a request from Ruby M. Coe of Walton, who is searching for a song for her mother, Ruby Coe. It is about the walls of Jericho coming down on the seventh day. Is anyone familiar with it?

I found a little poem that was sent to me years ago by a beloved cousin, Madelyn Nutter of Ansted. It echoes my prayer each day.

MY INFLUENCE

My life shall touch a dozen lives
Before this day is done;
Leave countless marks for good or ill,
Ere sets the evening sun.

So this the wish I always wish,
The prayer I ever pray;
“Lord may my life help other lives
It touches by the way.”